Big waste of $$$

Jimmaxie,

I can see your point, up to a point.  I grew up in CHICAGO & the streetsweeper was, & still is a staple of tax dollars at work.  And I have to say it does work.  I'm sure CHICAGO is not alone, but on the occasion when I get to go back, I still see the familiar signs on the streetlights from my youth that state, "No parking on this side of the street on this date from this time to that time."

I was also surprised when I moved here because for the first time, as best as my memory serves, the garbage collection crews carried no shovels or brooms to clean up anything that might spill.  It was to my great surprise, & disdain, to see personnel, in the process of hoisting a garbage bag, have it break spilling its contents on the street & just drive off.

Till this day, I don't know if it's a small town thing, a Florida thing or southern thing, but I think it's wrong, it's ridiculous & paints a very poor picture of the lack of concern the community has of itself.  If you're going to pay taxes, claim to be proud of your community, it should show in deed, not just talk.

It always hits me that people want all the services & ammenities of a "nice" community, but when it comes to paying for it, they get up in arms when taxes are brought up to pay for sevices.  Just where the heck do people think the money should come from, the tooth fairy?  If the services meet the basic reqirements of living in a "nice" community, paying for those services should be a natural part of it.  JATFUR.

RichK

The citizens were up in arms about the Fireguys driving the Firetruck to have lunch, because of the soaring gas prices, but the way I see it I would give up sweeping of the streets to help defray the costs of safety services. While it looks nice and all, but if every penny is being counted then some thing has to be let go of.

And don't even get me started on the garbage issue, some of the problem with having to sweep the streets stems from the reasons you stated in the above blog. I have taken pictures of the crap left behind on pickup day..

 http://spotted.myclaysun.com/user/member_gallery_photos.php?gallery=299367&collection=113592

I pick up the trash in my own little part of the county. I also pick up trash everywhere I go the beach, the river, out in the boat, I love to pick up trash, makes me feel all warm and squishy inside, I even have my very own engraved pick up stick!

Now if someone would do something about all the plastic bottles, I think we need to return to a deposit on bottles... back in the day,I didn't need a summer job, to support my teen years I just cashed in all the pop bottles that I would find and have enough money for gas and junk food. Course gas was at around 75 cents a gal and I had a VW bugcar. But ten pop bottles would get me a gallon of gas and snacks to go cruising...

I, too, recall scavenging soda bottles and cashing them in at the local A&P for candy bars. Talk about finding a need and filling it. Kids cleaning the sides of the roads, well, somewhat and earning as much as they want depending on how much they wanted to work. That's back when capitalism was capitalism and not the toxic mutation it is today with millionaire CEO's, fired workers and products imported from child slave labor.

As to streetsweepers, have no fear the un Fair Tax is here. It will save you money, clean the environment, make your colon sparkle, blow the swarf out of your kerf, and whiten your teeth at no extra cost. Will it "stand up" for the "Mull Of Kintyre Test"? Let's find out.  (Warning to Finder. I am not responsible upon your digesting the signifcance of the "test" while drinking coffee. Should said coffee spurt out of your nose all over your keyboard, remember, I warned you  :>)

Lily's Lore "I don't ever want to be rescued And I don't ever want to be saved I got a feelin' that I'm gonna be alive forever Dancin' on the edge of a grave..." Jim Steinman

Lily;

Thanks for the warning about the coffee. I was working on my last cup and would have hated to waste it as cleaning fluid for my keyboard.

A great example of how to define the 'hard' choices in the decision making process. 

Mike Heemer http://24.23.126.8/ Petition for choice (5 or 7) in Nov.

just something else the govenment thinks I need done on a regular basis.

now I have to goggle mull of kintyre

Now I know     Lily has educated me once again